'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Star Damon Herriman Talks the "Pressure" of Portraying Charles Manson, Working With Quentin Tarantino | In Studio - video Dailymotion

Hollywood Journal

"It’s one of the harder roles that I’ve had to play, for sure, and especially knowing that people know who he is and what he’s like, so there’s an added pressure on getting that right," Herriman said of playing Manson in Tarantino's new film.

Transcript

00:00Hi, I'm Damon Herriman, and I'm in studio with The Hollywood Reporter.

00:07I feel like you have the longest IMDb credits I've ever seen.

00:12You're in so much.

00:13People probably recognize you from a ton of different film and TV projects.

00:18I think I personally know you most from Justified.

00:21Right.

00:21So can you tell me, and I think a lot of people, it's just such a good, it was such a good show.

00:26Did you find that people were also recognizing you a lot from Justified, or do you still feel that Dewey Crow love?

00:34When people who saw Justified recognize me, they definitely get excited about that show,

00:40because people who watch Justified love Justified, and definitely for me, playing Dewey was one of the highlights of my career.

00:49It was also the first kind of major job that I got in America when I first started coming over here.

00:56And I think that show opened a lot of other doors, so I'm forever grateful.

01:01Yeah.

01:02He was such an interesting character, because, you know, we were talking about it earlier, and it's like, he was technically a bad guy.

01:10Right.

01:11You felt sorry for him, though, and everyone kind of treated him bad, and you were just so, like, he just had such an innocence.

01:19Yeah, there was a childlike quality to him that, it's one of those things, you know, when you're doing a show over a period of years,

01:26that in the pilot, for example, if you watch the pilot which Dewey is in, it's not quite the same Dewey that he became,

01:32because no one really knew who he was at that point.

01:35The writers didn't know, and I didn't know.

01:37I was sort of writing a version of him, and I'm playing a version of him.

01:40And then at some point, they and I separately or together, I don't know, tapped into that kind of hapless, pathetic, kind of innocent thing

01:51that they then wrote brilliantly for, so that whenever the new scripts came out,

01:56it would just be so fun seeing what absurd situation he'd got himself into this time.

02:00And I found out in some research, you've been acting a really long time also, since you were a kid, yeah?

02:05I have, yeah, yeah.

02:06I started when I was eight in Australia, and when I was ten, I was on a TV series there called The Sullivans,

02:12which was kind of like our version of The Waltons.

02:15And I did a lot of acting around 10, 11, 12, and then sort of lost interest through high school,

02:21assumed that that was a hobby I did as a kid and I would find a normal job now.

02:26And then when I finished high school, I kind of didn't really know what I wanted to do,

02:30and that was, I sort of fell back into acting again.

02:32Wow.

02:33You pretty much had the same job your entire life.

02:35Pretty much.

02:36I mean, I've done some other fill-in jobs too.

02:38You know, if you're an actor, especially if you're an actor in a place like Australia

02:41where there's nowhere near as much work as here, you kind of need another job.

02:44And I, throughout my 20s, actually for nine years, I worked in an office in an insurance company

02:49as well as being an actor.

02:50Oh, my gosh.

02:52Yeah, so I would go to auditions, you know, in my shirt and tie after, you know,

02:57selling insurance or paying someone's claim.

03:00Or I'd go away for a few months to do a play or to do a movie or something.

03:04But it wasn't until, I kind of left that job at 27 and went, you know what,

03:09I need to take this a bit more seriously because if I keep doing this office job,

03:13I might never leave.

03:14It was still a bit of a struggle financially until my 30s, I guess.

03:20And things sort of changed when I came over here.

03:24I mean, even that took a while.

03:25But I did a film in Australia called House of Wax, which was an American film that Paris

03:31Hilton was in.

03:31I've seen it.

03:32You said that kind of sort of changed things for me in a big way, really, because I hadn't

03:38– I sort of dipped my toe in coming to America a few years earlier.

03:43I didn't have any American credits and, you know, it was almost impossible getting agents

03:48or auditions, all that stuff.

03:50So I came over for the premiere of House of Wax and that sort of opened some doors.

03:54And, you know, only a little kind of tiny opening.

03:56But having an American credit, playing an American character, not dissimilar from Dewey

04:01Crowe, actually.

04:02I know.

04:03That sort of, yeah, started slowly leading to certain work over here.

04:08So Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, how did the role come to you?

04:10Like, did you get a phone call, an email, and what's your reaction when you hear what

04:16this is?

04:17Essentially, it came about through – I knew a couple of actors on the set who already

04:24cast in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

04:25It was a Justified reunion.

04:26It was.

04:27And Timothy Olyphant from Justified is one of the people I have to thank.

04:30And another actor called Nicholas Hammond, who lives in Australia now, who people would

04:34know from The Sound of Music.

04:36He played Friedrich, the oldest son.

04:38And he played Spider-Man, interestingly, in the 70s.

04:41The 70s versions, which are a little different from the current versions.

04:45But anyway, Nicholas is a friend of mine.

04:47Timothy was a friend of mine from Justified.

04:49And they sort of got together and both ended up putting in a word to Quentin about getting

04:54me to audition.

04:55And Quentin Tarantino is actually a massive Justified fan.

04:58He has seen the whole thing, loves the whole thing.

05:01He's worked with Timothy Walton Goggins on Hateful Eight.

05:04So just that alone, I think, helped get that audition, the fact that he loved Justified.

05:09They wouldn't email the pages because it's that secretive.

05:12They had to FedEx the pages.

05:14Because – was it Hateful Eight that got released?

05:16One of them got released online when it wasn't meant to.

05:19Like, the script got released.

05:21And I think to be, you know, vigilant and really be ultra careful about that, they made

05:28sure there was no digital copy of the script.

05:30So I heard that I was being FedExed these pages for an audition.

05:35And, yeah.

05:36And then I open it up and it says, you know, a shaggy stranger appears.

05:41And I'm like, who might this be?

05:43Maybe two weeks later, I got a call saying I got the role.

05:46And, yeah, it's a pretty great call to get as an actor, for sure.

05:50So it didn't actually say – did it say, like, Charlie?

05:53It ended up saying Charlie throughout the scene.

05:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.

05:56Okay, gotcha.

05:58And were you familiar with Manson at all?

06:01I'd read Helter Skelter a few years earlier.

06:04And I'd seen documentaries before.

06:07But certainly, you know, when you're playing someone who's real life,

06:11you want to make sure that you do all the research you can and watch everything you can.

06:17So I went pretty deep into watching every interview he'd done and reading books and podcasts

06:23and all sorts of stuff.

06:24I mean, his personality – I can't imagine watching all the interviews, doing all that

06:30research, and then having to portray this person.

06:35Did you find it hard to shake off?

06:37Was it difficult getting in character?

06:39I definitely didn't find it hard to shake off, thankfully.

06:43I'm not one of those actors who stays in character.

06:46Not even, you know, but after Cut, I'm back to myself.

06:50So it's – yeah, that's not a character you'd want to be spending a lot of time with

06:55at the end of the day.

06:57But, look, yeah, I mean, it's a hard – he's such a complex – he was such a complex guy.

07:03You know, there's not – he wasn't a one-dimensional villain.

07:08You know, the guy had so much going on.

07:12And, you know, he was almost certainly suffering from probably several mental disorders.

07:21But, you know, and at times he sounded like a crazy person.

07:24At times he actually spoke some sense.

07:27Obviously, that was the rarer occasion.

07:30But – and he – you know, at times he seemed terrifying.

07:36At times he seems completely sane.

07:40And so it's a very confusing – for an actor trying to kind of take all that stuff on.

07:45What was interesting actually watching the interviews is he would – he would kind of up the crazy elements

07:50if the interviewer was treating him like he was crazy.

07:54There's an interview he does with Ron Reagan Jr.

07:56Where Ron Reagan Jr. talks to him like a completely normal person.

08:00And it's probably the only interview where you see him kind of close to – as close to normal as you're likely to see him.

08:07He kind of can't – he doesn't get an opportunity to kind of crazy it up because the interviewer is being – is not kind of cajoling him

08:16and nudging him into that territory.

08:18But, yeah, it's one of the harder roles that I've had to play for sure.

08:22And especially knowing that people know who he is and know what he's like.

08:26So there's an added pressure on getting that right.

08:28Yeah.

08:28And then how did you and Quentin work together on sort of honing that character?

08:34I think I've heard him say that he sort of also bounces off of the actor because some actors like a lot of direction

08:39and some actors don't.

08:40But how was it for you two in that dynamic when you were on set and everything?

08:44Is he pretty hands-on with you or –

08:46He's kind of the perfect amount.

08:48He's incredibly enthusiastic.

08:50He makes you feel really good.

08:52When he's happy after a scene, he lets you know in no uncertain terms.

08:56And that's a really nice feeling.

08:58Yeah, he's like a big enthusiastic kid, you know, who still loves making movies.

09:04And, yeah, he doesn't give too many notes.

09:07He doesn't do too many takes.

09:08He seems to know when he's got what he wants and he moves on,

09:11even though he has the luxury of probably doing as many takes as he wants.

09:15He sort of doesn't do that unnecessarily.

09:19Sometimes his direction would be kind of acting out the scene in a way,

09:22but, like, in a way that kind of – it's sort of a – I don't know,

09:28like a cartoony version of what the version is that he wants.

09:31But it's really helpful because you know – you're watching him do it.

09:34And you're like, I know exactly what he wants that to be,

09:37even though that's not exactly that.

09:39It's not literally that.

09:40But he's really great at getting that across.

09:43And, of course, his dialogue is just so amazing.

09:47You know, as an actor, you know, people talk about the Tarantino dialogue

09:53and actors talk about, you know – and there's no question it's the best dialogue

09:58I ever got to say.

09:59I said to him while we were shooting, you write good acting into your dialogue.

10:05Like, I feel like anyone could say this and it'll make them seem like

10:09they're a good actor because the dialogue is so well written.

10:12And it's like – yeah, it's – it was a – yeah, one of the most fun times

10:19I've had on any job.

10:20And speaking of the dialogue, is it true that he is very particular

10:25about saying every exact word?

10:27Like, the way – like, you can't really – I've heard that he doesn't like

10:30anyone to sort of improv or go off script.

10:33Like –

10:33I've heard that, too.

10:35It never came up.

10:36I think I was probably so determined to learn every word.

10:39And, by the way, you don't want to change it because it's so perfect.

10:43Yeah, you shouldn't really have to.

10:45And then from the trailer, it looks like Brad Pitt's character is sort of like

10:49being ushered on to Spawn Ranch.

10:51So what's it like working with Brad Pitt?

10:53What's your dynamic like?

10:54Yeah, he's an incredibly lovely guy.

10:58We don't have a huge amount to do in the film together.

11:02But he was – he was just really sweet and down-to-earth on set.

11:06All the actors, actually, that I got to work with or met in the process of making

11:12that film were really lovely and really down-to-earth.

11:16I think there's a thing that happens where the bigger and kind of more successful

11:23a production is or the actors are that are working on it, you tend to notice going

11:28into those jobs – not that I've done that many of them – but they're the most calm,

11:33the least diva-ish, the most down-to-earth.

11:37It's a really nice feeling being around that because you could easily walk onto that set

11:42expecting to feel the opposite.

11:45Again, I know I started with this, but you just have so many projects that you're just

11:49taking over.

11:51The Nightingale looks pretty cool, and that's the Jennifer Kent film, yeah?

11:55Yeah.

11:55So I know that Babadook was – has a big cult following.

12:00Yeah.

12:00What can you say about her as a writer-director?

12:03When you got that script, what did you think, and what was that experience like?

12:07It was an incredible experience.

12:09That film is quite different from The Babadook in that it's a drama.

12:12It's not a horror film, but it's horrific in its own way.

12:15It tells a story.

12:18It's not a true story, but it's certainly based on events that – the type of events

12:22that took place in the 1800s in Tasmania, which is a state of Australia.

12:30And, yeah, look, getting to work with Jen was incredible.

12:35She's one of those directors who is a true artist.

12:37She is so incredibly passionate about what she does, and she wanted to tell this story,

12:45which is basically about this convict girl who decides to take revenge on these soldiers

12:51who have brutalized her and her family.

12:55And it was a hard job because it was winter in Tasmania, which is pretty cold, and there's

13:05some dark material in there.

13:06And I play one of the soldiers who is in my list of unpleasant guys that I've played.

13:11He's right up there.

13:13Hopefully we'll get to see you maybe shift back towards the characters from the beginning

13:18of your career, maybe a little bit more.

13:20Well, you know, in Perpetual Grace Limited, which is to show that I just – sort of the

13:26most recent job I did over here, I feel like that pivot has begun.

13:30I mean, the character in that, he's involved in some criminal activity, but he's actually

13:36a really sweet guy.

13:38And he's kind of more of a Robin Hood.

13:41He's stealing from his parents who are stealing from their church, and he wants to use the

13:46money for good.

13:47And he's a really interesting character and has a kind of a similar childlike quality

13:54to Dewey, but he's actually genuinely smart, whereas Dewey was not.

13:58Thank you so much for stopping by.

13:59It was so great to talk to you.

14:00My pleasure.

14:01Anyone watching, if you want to see Damon in anything, just basically turn to your TV

14:05or go to the theater, and you can catch him on something.

14:08Well, thank you again.

14:08So nice talking to you.

14:09Thanks, Natalie.

14:09Thanks, everybody, for watching.

'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Star Damon Herriman Talks the "Pressure" of Portraying Charles Manson, Working With Quentin Tarantino | In Studio

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